Saying Goodbye to Your Old Phone System

Recently, I was with a large client; as I meandered through the company’s hallways, I noticed huge bins filled with old desk phones. I learned that the company had just replaced its old phone system with new Voice over IP (VoIP) phones connected to Microsoft Lync. It’s interesting that a company would invest in such a large implementation, replacing tens of thousands of phones. Have we really moved into the next phase of enterprise telephony—not just VoIP but VoIP integrated into mainstream instant messaging (IM) systems?

Modernizing Legacy PBX

Back in the day, the heart of an office phone system was a large closet filled with a jungle of copper wires and some mystery boxes running a private branch exchange (PBX) to route calls. Installation was expensive, telephones were expensive, long-distance service was expensive . . . and to top it off, the learning curve for maintaining it all was huge.

Copper still exists in the walls of many office buildings, and it is still the most dependable method of transmitting calls, even if VoIP is significantly less expensive. Going “old school” means using a traditional PBX, a Public Switched Telephone Network gateway, and a service contract with Ma Bell. To save money, companies can install a VoIP gateway into many legacy PBXs and route some calls, such as international and interbranch calls, over VoIP lines. The copper lines can also act as a failover for VoIP should the office lose power or the VoIP provider experience an outage (increasingly rare, but it still happens).

Any computer can become a phone simply by adding an audio card, a headset, and a software-based phone client. For service companies in which users spend the vast majority of their time looking at a computer screen, there’s a productivity boost from having such a “soft phone,” allowing users to dial, receive calls, and listen to voicemail—all through their desktops. Vonage and Skype brought this into the public’s awareness when they began service. Many PBX systems have an available soft phone option or can be integrated into a third party’s solution.

Next Generation PBX

Starting with a new system may be the best option for capitalizing on the lowest total cost of ownership while gaining the newest features. Requiring just a broadband Internet connection and a contract with a VoIP provider, next-generation PBX systems feature auto-attendant, Automated Call Distribution, voicemail, and conference bridges—all for less than $1,000. Plus, they’re simple to manage through their Web-based interfaces. Fonality provides both on-premises and cloud-hosted PBX solutions based on the open source PBX called Asterisk.

RingCentral takes it a step further, providing a complete cloud-based solution for as low as $24.99 per user per month, including unlimited calling (eliminating the need for a separate VoIP provider). Options such as unlimited faxing, integration with Microsoft Outlook and Salesforce.com customer relationship management, and high-definition video conferencing further increase productivity. Both vendors have soft phones and even mobile clients, with desktop phones as low as $100 preconfigured.

Integrating a PBX with Skype and Lync is now a real option for small and medium-sized businesses as well as large enterprises. Skype for Business is a VoIP provider that allows a small firm to quickly provision numbers and manage phone expenses while providing increasingly reliable call quality worldwide. I have used Skype for several years now, and the call quality within the United States is rarely distinguishable from calls placed on traditional lines. Lync is essentially like a private Skype platform just for the company. What’s great with both platforms is that IM and presence awareness are coupled with screen sharing and conferencing plus traditional phone features such as caller ID, conferencing, and voicemail. Both also support click-to-call through Outlook and Internet browsers, which is great for increased productivity. If a company wants a traditional desktop phone option, both Skype and Lync provide several options from such name brands as Polycom and Cisco. They even provide speakerphones for conference rooms.

Businesses of all sizes have several options today, limited only by creativity. VoIP providers like Teliax provide phone lines with call forwarding and hosted PBX. With this, the organization can direct some lines to branch PBXs and forward others to Skype lines or even Google Voice accounts. How professional the business sounds when one calls the main phone number no longer depends on how much the company spends on its PBX. Opportunities to save money abound—clearly the business case behind the mass Lync implementation I witnessed.

About the Author

Chad Van Derrick has led scores of successful CRM implementations for global finance and professional services firms. He is managing director of Latitude 76, an international technology consulting firm that grows clients’ revenue through predictive technologies, and has consulted to such blue-chip companies as Fidelity Investments, Cushman & Wakefield, and IBM. He is a contributing writer to Studio B and tweets at @vanderrick.

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